How big are we?
Dear Rinpoche,
Here’s a follow up to the recent videos and teachings that Rinpoche has given us about the vastness of the universe. My dad sent me this email, which shows us the relative size of earth, compared to some of the other MUCH MUCH large stars and planets in the universe. We are not just a dot – we are invisible!
I thought Rinpoche might be interested to read this. Do scroll down and see the pictures, which scale all the planets against each other…
Love,
Paris
Have you ever wondered where we come from and how we came into being?
Have you wondered how awesome is the universe and what is eternity?
Do you ever think how we fit into the big picture or think how great we are (sometimes)?
See the comparisons below and I am sure your mouth will open as the world is revealed to your amazement! Just say ‘wow’ as you view each picture.
This is Really something to See !!! Please Look.
THIS is fascinating – it’s rather dazzling to see it presented this way.
I CERTAINLY THOUGHT THIS WAS ENLIGHTENING. BEYOND OUR SUN . IT’S A BIG UNIVERSE.
ANTARES IS THE 15 TH BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY .
NOW HOW BIG ARE YOU?
NOW TRY TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND THIS………
THIS IS A HUBBLE TELESCOPE ULTRA DEEP FIELD INFRARED VIEW OF COUNTLESS ’ENTIRE’ GALAXIES BILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.
IT IS MORE THAN 1000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
BELOW IS A CLOSE-UP OF ONE OF THE DARKEST REGIONS OF THE PHOTO ABOVE.
HUMBLING, ISN’T IT?
HOW BIG ARE YOU?
AND HOW BIG ARE THE THINGS THAT UPSET YOU TODAY?
AND HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?
KEEP LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE.
Very nice
We are tiny!!!!
Those planets and suns are huge, but think of the gaps in between, now that really IS big!
We are all so small in the big scheme of things but every being is so precious and equaly important.
I have been incredibly interested in Space since I was very little. I would take all the different fruit out of the basket and show people the way that all the different planets orbit the sun, which was usually the orange, if I remember correctly. I wish mankind would stop with the wars and then explore space forever…
Then, Imagine another species on a faraway planet that has achieved just that. We know higher beings exist. Now you have a case for UFO’s. The only question is how close are they to us? Well that’s my 2 cents on mankind’s future… not really any good Dharma in that post, sorry…
Dear Rinpoche & Jamie,
Thank you for this wonderful post.
It blew my mind away, instantly!
This the BEST anger management tool, ever! haha
With Folded Hands
Siong Woan
Wow.. i LOVE this… thank you…. this is what Rinpoche has been talking about for so long
we just need to put everything into perspective.. i wish this could be posted everywhere… but for now, I will put it on facebook!
My jaw dropped looking at the size of planet Earth in relation to the sun, let alone Antares!
I like how the email says, ‘NOW
HOW BIG ARE YOU?
AND HOW BIG ARE THE THINGS
THAT UPSET YOU TODAY?’
It’s not even worth mentioning how annoyed you are being stuck in a jam, when you look at the scale of our universe.
I’m surprised that when we were taught on the topic of the solar system in school, we weren’t taught beyond our 11 (or was it 10) planets. If I was shown the photos above when I was 8, my perspective on life would’ve been very different.
Having seen it now, I shall think twice and stop myself from being so petty about small things, like how my feet hurts from wearing a new pair of shoes!!
Thank you Rinpoche. It puts a lot of things into perspective and to be reminded that the Lord Buddha had knowledge of the greater cosmos – as a series of universes coming into and going out of existence through the infinity of time. How big is the world of Samsara and how substantial and great is the Dharma to envelope even the endless series of galaxies cutting through the dimensions of time and planes. Indeed, how big and expansive is the knowledge of the Buddha. And how fortunate it is for us to have met the Dharma in our insignificant and invisible existence, and to have a Guru to help us learn and navigate out of this multi-dimensional existences that we cannot even imagine. Buddhas come back throught the expanse of time and space to give us this knowlege…and we worry whether our eggs will be poached right.
I love this post!
“how fortunate it is for us to have met the Dharma in our insignificant and invisible existence, and to have a Guru to help us learn and navigate out of this multi-dimensional existences that we cannot even imagine.” -Martin
You have created the causes to receive this blessing of receiving Dharma and to have a pure Guru, by your own blood, sweat, and tears, according to Lord Buddha. Why would you deny yourself the opportunity to practice Dharma for the rest of your life, as much as you possibly can? You created this opportunity. Use your own logic, do you think it is wise to waste an opportunity you toiled to create?
If you went to college for 8 years or more to be a doctor and then decided to work at McDonald’s for the rest of your life, is that a good idea?
[...] here for more [...]
Like Rinpoche said, standing on top of a hill and looking at the expanse of the sky and horizon makes us feel so small, never mind figuring where we are when compared to the expanse of space in the universe. It’s awesome! Yet we make and allow our ego to be bigger than anything else. We are all guilty of that.
I think this is so cool, every time I open it up to look at it. Isn’t it kind of freaky to think that if our whole planet just suddenly blew up, it wouldn’t even make a pip of a sound in this whole vast space.
Rinpoche gave us a really powerful meditation related to this. For example: to think of myself sitting in this house; then zoom out to a bird’s eye view of the neighbourhood; then the city; the country; the continent; the world; the galaxy etc etc the view gets wider and wider, as we get smaller and smaller and finally totally insignificant and invisible.
Sure is a big reminder of how small we really are, even though we make our egos the size of the planet. The harsh reality is nobody cares about our problems except us! So why create entire galaxies out of it when it’s barely perceptible on this incredible scale!
In conclusion, a super tweet from Rinpoche which is something really helpful to keep in mind all the times: Our planet is so tiny in the universe. We are even smaller. So why make our problems bigger than all the galaxies?
Absolutely, we’re but a speck of dust compared to the vast universe. Yet, many people act so proudly thinking they’re that great! Please meditate on this text:”When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moons and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” Psalm 8:3,4.Yes, we’re miniscule compared to the heavens but God still minds us.
You know what would really suck? If all the stars in the Universe were hot hells! I wouldnt wanna end up on Antares. Anyways, i find amazing that we can see that wide open space above us all the time, and we can actually stare into the infinite with our tiny human eyes. If we wake up a bit we can see that everything is some sort of miracle, from the tiniest particle to the vastness of the Universe.
Wow, that sure puts things into perspective.
It’s funny because when we have problems, we blow them out of proportion and make ourselves bigger than the galaxies (when in fact we’re just a small speck).
At the same time, the small speck that is our selves has the power to change the world, or at least the lives of those close to us.
So really, we have a choice about how we want to live our lives – be the small speck that’s blown up with self-importance, or the small speck that changes someone’s world.
The first choice, which Rinpoche is always advising us against, is the way we’ve been living so far. But like Rinpoche says, has it brought us happiness? If it hasn’t, why not try it a different way, the second way?
We always think we are the center of the universe…..how foolish !
This article posted by Rinpoche really put us in the right perspective. we are just a tiny speck in the whole scheme of things.
Yeah, be happy !
Now I feel even smaller than ever! Hehe
But that shouldn’t matter because there is always something bigger and better than us. We shouldn’t be so proud and think we are so great after all. It’s time to humble down.
It’s time to let go from holding on to our problems and thinking it’s such a big deal when it’s really not. It’s time to focus out and think about others.
As stated in Shantideva’s prayers,
For as long as space remains,
For as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then may I too remain
To dispel the miseries of the world.
How can life only exclusively exist only on planet Earth someone is bullshitting the planet and themselves. Plus the universe is endless in all directions so not logical to think life only exists on planet earth.
Looking at this generates a feeling of compassion… inside and outside of me.